The COBRE Proteogenomics and Bioinformatics Core C is a component of the South Carolina COBRE for Cardiovascular Disease (SC COBRE). The mission of this Core is to provide investigators from Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and across the region with expert consultation, training, state-of-the-art instrumentation and turnkey services to address questions of gene expression and protein function. The Core builds upon the previous investments of the NIH/NCRR SC COBRE Phase I and II programs, NIH/NCRR SC INBRE program, NIH/NCRR Shared Instrumentation Grants and MUSC, which together have created a comprehensive infrastructure comprised of faculty support staff, instrumentation and computational/statistical analysis resources. To advance our understanding of how gene expression relates to embryonic development and adult disease, the Core has excelled in microarray screening technology. To support this activity, the Core has built a record of accomplishment in data management and analysis and custom development of bioinformatics tools. The Core also provides support for related gene expression methodologies including RNA preparation and quality assessment, real time quantitative PCR analysis, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and ChlP-on-Chip for analyzing genomic DNA sequences bound to specific proteins and epigenetic modifications. To advance our genomics capabilities, the Core will implement next generation sequencing in FY2011-12. The Core also provides a variety of protein related services including surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis of protein interactions, multiplex bead array-based analysis of phosphoprotein and cytokine levels, and consultation for expression/purification of proteins. Education and outreach are integral components of the mission of the Core. Toward this end, the Core provides a variety of programs for students and faculty that include training in Core technologies, research internships for undergraduates, pilot studies awards to incentivize Core usage, and a seminar series promoting new technology awareness. Collectively, the services of the Proteogenomics and Bioinformatics Core are designed to accelerate the process of discovery and enhance research competitiveness of investigators from MUSC and across the state.